Living in Monaco 2026: Property Prices, Rent and the Commute

The key figures

Living in Monaco means some of the most expensive property anywhere: homes sold for an average of €57,569 per square metre in 2025, and €71,167 in Larvotto, the priciest district (IMSEE). Monaco publishes no official rent figures, and landlords in the free sector set rents as they like. So most people who work there don’t live there: nine in ten private-sector employees live in France or Italy and commute, while Monaco itself has 38,857 residents.

Property prices by district

From IMSEE’s Observatoire de l’Immobilier 2025, private sector, new homes and resales together. The average dipped 1.4% from €58,402 in 2024, after a 14.8% rise the year before. Recent buildings averaged €65,602 per m², and the 429 resales in 2025 averaged €7.6 million each. IMSEE changed its method this year, so don’t compare these with older editions.

To put that in pay terms: at the median salary of €3,475 a month (IMSEE, 2025), one square metre at the Monaco average costs about 16 and a half months of gross pay (our calculation).

Renting

Monaco’s homes fall into different sectors with different rules (Gouvernement Princier):

• Free sector: open to everyone, whatever their nationality. “The length of the lease and the rent are set solely by the landlord.” This is where most newcomers rent.
• State-owned (domanial) homes: 4,380 of Monaco’s 22,577 homes in 2025, allocated only to Monegasque nationals, on a points system.
• Protected sector (buildings from before 1947): for registered “protected persons” who meet residence and income conditions.
• The “libéralisé” sector: for people who have lived in Monaco for at least five years and worked there for six months, or worked there for at least five years.

There is no official average rent: IMSEE doesn’t publish one. If you rent to become resident, the lease must be registered with the tax office (see Monaco residency).

Where Monaco’s workers live

From IMSEE’s Observatoire de l’Emploi 2025. By town: Nice more than 16,000 employees, Menton almost 7,300, Monaco 5,975, Beausoleil 5,709, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin 4,422 and Ventimiglia more than 2,300. Living in France has tax consequences: you pay French income tax on your Monaco salary (see tax in Monaco).

Everyday costs

Monaco charges VAT on the same basis and at the same rates as France: 20% standard, 10% reduced and 5.5% on essentials (Gouvernement Princier). There is no council tax or property tax. We found no official measure of how day-to-day prices in Monaco compare with Nice, so this page doesn’t guess.

Moving to Monaco: the order of things

1. Find work or confirm your means. If you’ll work there, your employer applies for a work permit (jobs in Monaco).
2. Get a visa if you need one. Non-EEA nationals, British citizens included, need a French long-stay visa (type D) before applying for residency.
3. Secure a home and register the lease, or buy.
4. Open an account with a Monaco bank, which issues the certificate of means.
5. Apply for your residence card at the Sûreté Publique (Monaco residency).

Limits

There are no official figures for rents or day-to-day prices in Monaco, so this page doesn’t give any; estimates you see elsewhere come from agencies and listings. The figures here are IMSEE’s and the government’s, as published.

Questions

How much does it cost to live in Monaco?

Housing is the big cost. Homes sold for an average of €57,569 per square metre in 2025 (IMSEE), so a 50 m² flat at that price costs about €2.9 million. Monaco publishes no official average rent. Everyday prices are closer to France's: VAT is charged at the same rates, 20% standard. That's why most people who work in Monaco live in France or Italy.

How much is rent in Monaco?

There is no official figure: IMSEE, Monaco's statistics office, doesn't publish average private rents. In the free sector, open to all nationalities, the landlord alone sets the rent and the length of the lease. As a guide to the market, homes sold for €57,569 per square metre on average in 2025.

Can anyone live in Monaco?

Anyone can apply for a residence card if they can prove a home in Monaco, enough money to live on and a clean criminal record. Non-EEA nationals, including British citizens, need a French long-stay visa first. State-owned housing is reserved for Monegasque nationals.

Where do people who work in Monaco live?

Mostly in France: 81.5% of private-sector employees at the end of 2025. Nice is home to more than 16,000 of them, Menton almost 7,300, Beausoleil 5,709 and Roquebrune-Cap-Martin 4,422. Another 8.3% live in Italy, including more than 2,300 in Ventimiglia, and only one in ten lives in Monaco (IMSEE).

How many people live in Monaco?

38,857 residents at 31 December 2025, up 434 in a year, from 144 nationalities. Monegasques are the largest group (9,333), ahead of French (8,270) and Italian (7,559) nationals (IMSEE census 2025).

More on working in Monaco

• Working in Monaco: the overview, with pay, tax and the rules in one place
• Jobs in Monaco: Live listings, who employs the most people, pay by sector, and the priority hiring and work permit rules
• Tax in Monaco: No income tax for residents (except the French), the social contributions every employee pays, and who pays French tax
• Average salary in Monaco: Official private-sector pay from IMSEE: the median, the average, pay by sector and take-home pay
• Monaco residency: Who needs a residence card, the four card types, what you must prove and where to apply
• Minimum wage in Monaco: €12.31 an hour from 1 June 2026, plus Monaco's 5% allowance, with rates by age and overtime
• Public holidays in Monaco: All 12 public holidays in 2026, what happens when one falls on a Sunday, and pay for working them

Sources

• IMSEE, Observatoire de l'Immobilier 2025 (February 2026)
• IMSEE, Recensement de la population 2025 (May 2026)
• IMSEE, Observatoire de l'Emploi 2025 (April 2026)
• Gouvernement Princier (MonServicePublic), Les différents secteurs d'habitation (updated 19 October 2026)
• Gouvernement Princier (MonEntreprise), TVA (updated 27 August 2026)